Am I alone in saying I dont like London and don't see the attraction ?

[Bertybamboozle]

I am SE based and can be in London in around 20 mins on the train. I cannot stand the place. There is no reason to visit, unless you are a tourist. I really cannot see the appeal and apart from the tourist things, there is nothing else especially special/different to do. I can do pubs/cinema/shows/shopping anywhere.

I feel like I am the only one who thinks this.

London is great, one of the most fun and exciting places to be in the world so long as you have money.

I can commute to London easily too. I hate the place, it’s a dangerous shit hole. I don’t mind staying there a few nights and pretending I’m a tourist, but day commute, no thanks.

I went to uni in London and worked there for a couple of years. It’s a horrible place. I hate the tube.

I like to visit.
I love to come home.

@MoodEnhancer obviously there are places that can ONLY be found in London. The Tower of London for example. Or Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament etc.
But there are museums, theatres and galleries all over the UK.
Seriously 😂

Im not a fan. Always thought the place was a bit of a toilet.

However it's been a while since I was there and apparently it's a lot cleaner now so who knows.

I'm going to london for the first time soon, I'm really looking forward to it, although the negative threads/press is always a bit scary! But been spending the day looking at just the sheer number of restaurants, things to do etc.

I love a couple of days in London every couple of months but after 48 hours I’m usually pretty ‘done’ and peopled out and come back to Shropshire to breathe and be in peace. Best of both worlds to me!

Oh god no, anything bigger than a small town and I get an overwhelming urge to have a shower! 😂

I left over a decade ago. Love the feeling of space and leafy suburbia. I go in for work a couple of times a week which is just the right balance. I like the buildings and culture etc and people watching. But there's lots of lovely greenery outside London.

I don't think your reasons universally make sense. Obviously there are specific attractions (particular museums, buildings etc) in London which aren't elsewhere. Plus there is a lot more choice of things to do, places to eat, sights to see than there would be in most people's local town.

YANBU not to like London. YABU to try and suggest there are no reasons to go there- that's ridiculous!

Well, the last few times I went into London I saw exhibitions of Van Gogh paintings, Monet paintings, Abstract Expressionists, brilliant plays and musicals in the West End, best Japanese food I've had outside Japan, I bought Muji candles - no shops outside London except Birmingham, and I wanted to smell them before buying online. I walked through St James accompanied by pelicans. Can't do any of these right now in any other Uk city I know.

This response nails it.

I'm intrigued where you live OP, as we want to move closer to London. Please would you PM me? 20 mins from London is my idea of heaven.

I live 40 minutes away by train. I wouldn't want to live in the centre as I also like being in the countryside, but love working and going out there and have left an important piece of my heart somewhere in a pub off the Strand.

Recently I've been to two exhibitions at the Courtauld and the V&A which were unique and you would not get that experience in any other city as those individually curated exhibitions will not be on there! The sheer variety, quality and quantity of galleries, museums, theatre, restaurants and pubs is hard to match anywhere. Plus London is immensely safe, free and liberal- do not underestimate how much foreign visitors notice and appreciate this.

I love and have been to many other cities but London has many factors which make it unique and unbeatable.

I always feel there the sense of infinite potential and excitement, just the feeling that anything could happen.

@SereneCapybara yes no other cities in the UK have big musicals 🙄
In the last few years I have seen Rocky Horror Show 4 times. Only 1 of those times was in the West End and that was a limited run.

Totally. I love the cycling infrastructure (mostly). And I love, love, love the public transport.

You are missing the best of London if you think the appeal is only "tourist things". I avoid touristy things and absolutely love London. I think I'd waste my breath to try and explain what is wonderful about the city to you - so I won't.

Have you ever been to the National Gallery? Tate? Wallace Collection?
They are mostly free, and then world's envy. I go there almost every week in my lunch hour, and I feel happy to be in London

Lived there for 3 years, couldn't wait to leave. Horrible, horrible place to live. We visit every now and then for a show but I wouldn't be bothered if we never went again. Can go to Bristol or Southampton for the big musicals - just have to wait a bit longer.

But there isn't an equal range and diversity of museums, theatres and galleries anywhere else. If you just want a museum or a gallery generically, then fine, but if you have a passion for a specific type of art or theatre, then London is probably going to serve you better than anywhere else in the UK, except if by some chance some other places specialises in whatever niche you are interested in.

@Newtoiletseat I live in London but other than the "tourist" things that are exclusive to London what exactly is different to other places?
What does make it "wonderful" ?
Genuine curiosity.

I’m sure you aren’t alone. You’re allowed to think what you want!

I feel the same way about Cornwall. Totally overrated shithole.

I liked London in the 1990’s when I was in my twenties and going to lots of parties. It was a definite time. My friends worked in glam industries, advertising, fashion and marketing, they were girls from school while I worked in less glam higher education. I got to go to loads of just fab parties. I remember drinking bollinger with real wanker banker types. Only one remained in London. We grew up quite rurally and couldn’t wait to escape.

The only thing London has are museums and galleries for me now.

Are you joking?

The criminal gangs, the stabbings, the murders, muggings, the burglary’s . It’s terrifying. Half of what happens we don’t even see on the news.

🙄

No, it’s a shithole.